Searching Thoughts: (Audio)

I searched, and I searched, but I couldn’t find…. Hmmm… sounds like the lyrics to a song I know! But I did. I searched my heart and could not find that single word that describes my thoughts for the day.

You can watch the disaster from afar, and there’s absolutely nothing to do except connect with those in the middle of the situation by phone and social media. In your heart you know you can send financial support, but that’s simply a band-aid today representing your inability to physically go to those in need. The messages are pouring in, “My thoughts are with you…” but what good are your thoughts. How about some action? How about some prayers? How about getting involved?

You know there are things happening in the background, under your feet, over your head, and behind the scenes, but you feel like you are operating in the blind. You just don’t know what to do at the moment.

What to do? Right now?

  • You feel the frustration of distance and not being there to help, at the same time you are thankful that you don’t live in that potential disaster zone anymore!
  • You feel the dissatisfaction with status quo, and you cannot put your mind to a fresh direction due to all the distraction.
  • You know there’s a better tomorrow, but in reality, you cannot see that far into the future to know when it will arrive.
  • You have “ants in your pants” which is an anachronistic way of saying you are squirmy wanting to do something more, but the most you can do is sit, pray, and get frustrated with the lack of something constructive to do.

Does anybody else ever feel this way?

Of course, you do. Often. You know there is something to do, and yet there is no clear direction to move. How do you fill your time when these times are pressing? The open tasks are nearly endless, and that’s what many of us know. To fill the gap between worry and accomplishment, you throw yourselves into the work required to get through the day without thinking about what to do next…

This is when it’s good to have something to do so you simply do not sit and worry. The social media and news outlets make sure you know all the bad stuff, and what you need is something positive to get through the moment.

Now. It’s not just about the disaster that’s unfolding.

When something major happens other avenues of your life suddenly seem frail. Shakey. Unshored. Without thinking, and that’s part of the problem, you start attempting to repair everything around you to make it ready for a future date with disaster. It’s good to be ready at a moments notice, but the reality is your focus on disaster preparedness misses all the other necessary things that must be done to survive your day and your schedule.

Here’s my thought.  Oh. I do have a thought! Well. Here it is!

Anything that happens keeps our eyes focused on what the moment requires in light of the disaster or event. At Christmas, we worry about all the kids who do not have presents but fail to support their needs all year around. At Thanksgiving, we want to make sure everyone has turkey, dressing and all the other trimmings. We feel successful that we fed someone, but there are 364 more days that are needed.

Repeatedly the word is thrown out about this need or that need, and thousands are raised to support survivors and families. While good, there are more than enough problems to shake a stick at and eventually, we become numb to all the constant requests.

It’s like hearing that little voice in the night, “Wolf. Wolf.”

When’s the last time you met that person on the side of the road and talked to them about their true needs instead of handing them a buck? We assuage our inadequacies and guilt by handing over the dough. There. I’ve done my good deed for the day! Let’s go home with a clear conscious.

I think it’s time we start taking a personal accounting of how we respond to the needs. We are a blessed nation with an abundance in reserve to help someone else. It’s not that you need to be their sole support, or even their “go to” bank when their account is dry, but if we would constantly be on the look for the need closest to our world, how much easier would it be to meet the needs when the disasters fly in our windows?

Here’s another view of the problem. We often don’t want the help ourselves even when the disaster comes. If you want to dish it out at disaster time, then you need to be ready for it to pour back to you when you need it yourself. Even if it’s not a disaster. We need to learn how to receive the good will of someone else, even if they are not as well off as we are.

It’s a two-way street and we need to learn how to live on this street!

Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:37-38 NKJV)

So. If you are going to give, you have to learn to receive… As I finish, a song from Glen Cambell comes to mind. Perhaps you need to check it out… Try A Little Kindness

 

By Michael Gurley

Making Sense of Life, One Thought at a Time!